Los Angeles - February 12, 2004

Head for the Hills

Enoteca Drago Restaurant Opens

Imagine a place where everything you eat comes directly from your immediate surroundings: Oil pressed from the olives of nearby olive trees. Ricotta made from the milk of your uncle’s sheep. Produce from the garden out back …

Not exactly what you’d expect to find in the middle of Beverly Hills.

Granted, no livestock graze outside Enoteca Drago, the newest venture from renowned chef Celestino Drago, but the food and ambience are inspired by the authentic rustic Italian cuisine of his childhood in Sicily. Stop in for a glass of Chianti and a round of small plates, like stuffed olives with meat and herbs, homemade pate, scallops with morels and baby artichokes, or an impossibly-thin-crusted pizza. The wine list features selections from Italy and the world over, which are even served in two-and-a-half-ounce tasting portions for optimal food pairing.

The decor, like the food, is a mix of elegance and rustic charm: A long cherry-wood communal table graces the center of the space; stone accents, Venetian-stucco ceilings, and terra-cotta tile lend the spot a warmth an Old World vibe so convincing you may just forget you’re in Beverly Hills.

Until, of course, you look at who’s sitting next to you.

Enoteca Drago, 410 North Canon Drive, at Brighton Way (310-786-8236).